Sunday 17th August 2025 was an historic day in Glenarm, Co. Antrim, at the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships where the Inver Colpa Novice Ladies took home the first ever medal for the club winning Gold in their race. The crew were Eavan Doyle (cox), Christine Cowap, Claire Corcoran, Saoirse Mallon and Linda Carter.
Although the club have competed in the All Irelands before this year, and some club members held medals from rowing with other clubs over the years, this was the first time that a full crew of rowers from Inver Colpa won an All Ireland medal. As the winning crew crossed the line, the race MC and Chairperson of the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation, Mary B Teahan, commented on the club’s maiden win.
The club was established in 2011 after a successful charity row from the Isle of Man that year, is affiliated to the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation and has grown in size and experience ever since.
However, for almost a decade, Inver Colpa Rowing Club has operated out of containers at the Boyne Fishermen’s premises on the Marsh Road, but this year will finally see the start of works on the site for their new boathouse to serve the community. Over 150 years after the former Drogheda Rowing Club built their clubhouse in 1867, Inver Colpa Rowing Club are working hard to keep the sport of rowing alive on the River Boyne for future generations to come.
Speaking after the race, Cox Eavan Doyle was delighted with the win:
‘It was a great race, we had a great start, and we just had a long length of a stroke and we really finished strong. I couldn’t have asked for more from the girls – everything I asked from them, they did’.
In addition, club member Martin Murphy also helped the Masters Mixed crew from Castle Rowing Club to third place over the weekend, also earning himself a bronze All Ireland medal.
There were great performances also over the weekend of racing from our Veteran Ladies, Masters Ladies, 800m Sprint Ladies, 800m Sprint Men, Novice Men, Mixed Veteran, Junior Ladies and Veteran Men crews in all of their races.
The summer months have been a busy period for all at Inver Colpa Rowing Club, filled with fundraisers, training, races and thankfully, lots of medals and celebrations! After the success of the 9th Annual Boyne Boat Race on May 4th, the club geared up for the return of the Drogheda Raft Race on June 1st, aptly named ‘The Battle on the Boyne’, organised alongside the Boyne Fishermens Rescue & Recovery Service. The day was a huge success, with the GT Group coming out as the Grand Final Champions. The River Boyne is undoubtedly one of Drogheda’s greatest natural assets, and it was truly special to see it filled with life, laughter, and community spirit on the day, which also raised much needed funds for both Inver Colpa and the Boyne Fishermen.
Following after the Raft Race were three additional important fundraising events for the club as they continue to raise funds towards their 60,000euro target for their new boathouse on the Boyne. For almost a decade, the rowing club have operated out of containers at the Boyne Fishermen’s premises on the Marsh Road. Over 150 years after the former Drogheda Rowing Club built their clubhouse in 1867, this year will finally see the start of works on the site for the new boathouse to serve the community and to ensure that the sport of rowing is kept alive on the River Boyne for future generations to come. A short video of how the boathouse will look along the Boyne when complete can be seen here:
The club’s Flag Day took place around Drogheda on June 21st while the club were also delighted to work with Mosney Village who sponsored a roadside billboard campaign across prime locations in Louth and Meath, aiming to highlight the building of the new Boathouse. The billboard campaign GoFundMe for the new boathouse can be found at https://gofund.me/f084703f if anyone would like to make a donation.
Speaking about the billboard campaign, James McKevitt, Chairperson of the Inver Colpa Rowing Club said ‘The billboard campaign comes at an excellent time for the club, as we are about to embark on the construction of our new boathouse. The club is very busy fundraising, and the promotion through the billboards couldn’t come at a better time. The billboards also bring awareness of the rowing club to the locality, as the club continues to grow and support the sport of rowing in Drogheda and the Northeast. As a club that represents the community, the members and all involved appreciate the continued support and generosity of Mosney Village.’
The final fundraising event was the Rowathon which took place all day in Scotch Hall Shopping Centre on Sat 12th July, where 10 teams of 4 rowers per team aimed to row 120km against the clock. An endurance challenge for all that tested the rowers to both their physical and mental limits, the winners of the 3 Male / 1 Female category were SKF, while the winners of the 2 Male / 2 Female category were Just Pull It.
This was an amazing event that generated a lot of buzz throughout Scotch Hall on the day and the club are indebted to the management of Scotch Hall, the crews who gave it everything on the rowing machines, the volunteers who kept things running smoothly, the family and friends who showed up with water and support on a scorching day and all the local businesses who helped make it all possible with equipment, prizes, food, transport, training spaces and everything in between. The final fundraising total from these events over the last few months will be announced soon. The club would like to say thanks to all those who have taken part in and supported all the fundraisers so far as all the ongoing support is making a huge difference!
With all these fundraisers going on, the club still found lots of time for important sprint training sessions out on the sea in Clogherhead and on the river, along with attending three regattas on the Antrim coast in the lead up to the All Irelands, which are taking place in Glenarm from the 15th-17th August. The first regatta was in Cushendun, Antrim on June 15th, where the very wet weather didn’t dampen anyone’s rowing enthusiasm as the ladies team came first in their category, with our mixed team taking second in theirs, along with club member Orran helping the winning mixed team to their gold.
Not long after on July 6th, the club headed up North again to Ballygally for the Castle Regatta, taking home bronze in both the Veteran Ladies & Open Ladies along with silver in the Veteran Mixed. The final regatta of the summer for the club took place at Whitehead, Antrim on July 27th, where the club took home the Silver in both the Veteran Ladies and Open Ladies, along with the Gold in the Veteran Mixed, Silver in the Novice Mixed and Bronze in the Masters Mixed.
After these busy few months, it’s back to training until the All Irelands for the club, taking place back up on the beautiful Antrim coastline, this time in Glenarm from 15th-17th August. Hopefully more medals will be brought back home to Drogheda by the time the weekend is over! As usual, the club would like to thank all their main sponsors for their ongoing – Southgate Shopping Centre, KC Shipping, Flogas, Helpmypension.ie and The Mariner.
The 9th Annual Boyne Boat Race, hosted by Inver Colpa Rowing Club, took place on Sunday May 4th 2025 with crews from all across the country making their way once more to the Wee County. This year however, the winds and tides did not want to co-operate with race day, so on Saturday evening, the club had to make the big decision to change the race to a river-only race and remove the sea stretch from Clogherhead. However, the race went ahead smoothly, with all the reorganisation ably led by Race Co-Ordinator Shirley Byrne.
With the new starting point of Crook Point in Mornington, it gave the boats the chance to pass right along the Boyne through the town of Drogheda and loop back, coinciding with the Drogheda 10K race, so while the boats rowed along the river, runners ran along it – a sight to see for all! It was also wonderful to see all the crowds along the river and across St Dominic’s bridge cheering on all the runners and rowers!
As usual, the race showcased a mixture of boats – East Coast Skiffs, St. Ayles Skiffs, All-Ireland One Design boats, Celtic Longboats, Curraghs, Fiesas and for the first time, a Pilot Gig boat all the way from Whitby in the UK! As the sun shone on the Sunday morning, the riverside at Crook Point was a hive of activity with trailers arriving, boats unloading and rowers preparing. Inver Colpa had 3 boats competing, all with mixed crews, and were delighted to hold onto the Cassidy Cup again this year with the fastest mixed crew in a One Design boat. This year that crew was Saoirse Mallon, James McKevitt, Hannah Woods, Darragh Farrell and cox Glenda Murphy.
Speaking after the race, Club PRO, Sarah McCann said:
It was another amazing day at the Boyne Boat Race. The last minute route change, although a mammoth organisational task, gave the crews the chance to row through the town of Drogheda for the first time and with the Drogheda 10K race also taking place at the same time that afternoon, there was a real sense of excitement and healthy competition in the air!
Inver Colpa Rowing Club would sincerely like to thank everyone who rowed or helped out in any way on the day along with the Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue and Recovery Service, Clogherhead RNLI Lifeboat Station (especially Barry Sharkey), The Irish Coastguard, Eric Kirwan and all at Clogherhead Coastguard, Padraig Rath, Harbour Master Capt Lar Kirwan, Dr Cyril Sullivan, Director and Paul Fleming, Chief Executive, Drogheda Port for all their support and sponsorship of medals, McManus Tyres, Last Lap Cafe & those who helped with tea & coffee, Richie Hatch, Leinster Farm Machinery, Grennan’s Bar, Tirlan, Phone Tec, MCC Premium Label Solutions, our timekeepers, all those who helped to launch and recover boats and especially all of our club sponsors – Flogas, Southgate Shopping Center, Help my Pension & KC Shipping.
The next few months are looking busy for the club with the upcoming Drogheda Raft Race – the Battle on the Boyne – on June 1st, which is a joint fundraiser with the Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue and Recovery Service. There’s still a chance for companies/businesses/organisations to enter a raft (no boats, no engines — just creativity and recycled materials) and join the fun! On the day, along with the raft race with lots of prizes, people can expect live music, face painting, food and drink stalls, giant garden games and lots more! For more info or to sign up email battleontheboyne@gmail.com and follow the Facebook page for updates.
Also, along with the Drogheda Raft Race, the club are holding a rowathon on Sat 12th July in Scotch Hall Shopping Centre to raise funds for their new boathouse. Over 150 years after the former Drogheda Rowing Club built their clubhouse in 1867, Inver Colpa Rowing Club are working to keep the sport of rowing alive on the River Boyne for future generations to come by building a new boathouse to serve the community. On Saturday 12th July from 8am in Scotch Hall Shopping Centre, 10 teams of 4 rowers per team will aim to row 120km against the clock which is an endurance challenge for all that will test the rowers to both their physical and mental limits! There is a GoFundMe link on the club’s Facebook and Instagram and any donations people can give towards this challenge and the building of the new boathouse will be very welcomed!
The start of 2025 has been a busy one for us here at Inver Colpa Rowing Club. In February, we were delighted to purchase 2 currachs from Ross Kenny, formerly used by Boyne Boats for trips along with Boyne until the sad recent closure of the company. These beautiful boats are 25 feet 4-hand Kerry Naomhog currachs, hand built by the great folk at Meitheal Mara, a maritime cultural organisation and community boat yard on the River Lee in Cork city. The boats come steeped in history as not only were they used for boat tours along the Boyne with Ross over the last number of years, they were also used extensively in the filming of Game of Thrones, House of Dragons and Dungeons and Dragons. We are so delighted that Ross chose Inver Colpa Rowing Club as the new home for his currachs, which were very much sought after, and we look forward to keeping the currachs active on the River Boyne where they belong.
The club also had a great start to the 2025 season today at the Strangford Coastal Rowing Spring Series on Sunday 23rd March. With 4 crews competing on the day, all came home with medals as the club won both 1st & 2nd place in the Open Women’s One Design category and both 2nd & 3rd place in the Open Men’s One Design category.
The focus for the club now turns to training and organising the 9th Annual Boyne Boat Race which will take place on Sunday May 4th with crews from all across the country making their way once more to the starting point on the beach at Clogherhead for a 2pm start. A variety of boats including East Coast Skiffs, St. Ayles Skiffs, All-Ireland One Design boats, Fiesas, Currachs and Celtic Longboats will take part in this challenging race for approximately 15.5km along the coast to the mouth of the River Boyne and down the river underneath the viaduct for a sprint finish to the De Lacy bridge. The club will be entering 3 of its own crews in the race and we are hoping that one of our mixed crews will hold onto the Cassidy Cup again this year, which was won last year by one of the Inver Colpa mixed crews, beating off stiff competition on the day.
Inver Colpa Rowing Club are delighted to announce that Southgate Shopping Centre have come on board as a new main sponsor for 2025!
Pictured at the sponsorship cheque handover is L-R James McKevitt, Club Chairperson, Darragh Farrell, Club Treasurer, Niamh Cardiff, Marketing Manager Southgate Shopping Centre and Orla O’Connor, Club Secretary.
The club & its members extend a huge thank you to all at Southgate Shopping Centre for their support! We hope that it’s the start of a long & fruitful partnership!
Members of the club recently presented a cheque for an amazing 2,915 euro to representatives of the Boyne Fishermens Rescue & Recovery Service and Clogherhead RNLI following the ‘Row the Boyne’ Rowing Challenge that took place in Scotch Hall Shopping Centre on Sat 14th Dec 2024.
Representing the RNLI are Padraig Rath, Brian O Shiel, Noel Philips & Barry Mullen while representing the Boyne Fishermen is Jay Clarke. Scotch Hall Centre Manager, Nichola Kelly is also pictured, along with club members who took part and helped on the day.
St Stephen’s Day saw the broadcast of a new radio documentary ‘Stories from the Boyne’ all about the River Boyne from Mornington to the Mary McAleese Bridge on LMFM Radio.
Featuring club members James, Darragh, Fiona, Sarah and Cox Gerry, along with members of the Boyne Fishermens River Rescue, the documentary can be heard here.
Some more trophyware for the cabinet and a grant of 149,380 euro towards the club’s new boathouse under the Sports Capital & Equipment Programme grants scheme marked the end of a great season for Inver Colpa Rowing club as they enter the quieter autumn/winter season.
The club’s ladies crew of Joanne Gerrard, Glenda Murphy, Claire Corcoran and Fiona Kelly finally got their hands on the long-awaited Elaine Nelson Perpetual Trophy for their win in the Open Women’s category at the Round the Rock race in Glenarm over the summer and now look forward to defending it next year on their return visit! The club’s male crew of James McKevitt, Darragh Farrell, Tom Scanlon and Andy Grennan, along with Glenda Murphy as cox, also took home the Spirit of Fingal award at Fingal Rowing Club’s recent Lambay Challenge in September.
The news of the grant of 149,380 euro towards the club’s new boathouse under the Sports Capital & Equipment Programme grants scheme was also very welcomed and brings the club one step closer towards the boathouse on the Boyne becoming a reality. For years, the club has operated out of containers at the Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue and Recovery Service’s home on the Marsh Road, Drogheda, and all involved in the club are indebted to the Boyne Fishermen for their help and assistance over the years.
Here’s to 2025 marking an important year for the club’s development in bringing river and coastal rowing to as many as possible in Drogheda and the surrounding areas.
Another early morning trip for Inver Colpa Rowing Club last weekend has once again brought home the goods for the club, this time at the Row the Rock event in Skerries, Co. Dublin. Row the Rock is a 15km Rowing Race from Skerries South Strand to Rockabill Lighthouse and back, with a beach sprint at the start and end of the race.
The race starts with one rower from each boat positioned at the start line on the beach, while the others wait patiently in their boats on the sea for the sound of the start whistle, at which time the rower on the beach sprints down, runs into the water, jumps into the boat and starts rowing with their crew as quickly as possible! After a gruelling 15km sea row, the race ends in a similar way, with the chosen rower jumping out of the boat and running back up to the same position on the beach – not an easy feat when your legs feel like jelly!
Two Inver Colpa crews took part in the race at the weekend, facing tough conditions as they rowed out and around Rockabill Lighthouse, which is an active 19th century lighthouse, on the larger of the two islands that form Rockabill. Famous for its Roseate Terns, since 1989, BirdWatch Ireland have been working to conserve and protect these birds on Rockabill Island – their largest European breeding colony.
Our crew of James McKevitt, Tom Scanlon, Fiona Kelly, Darragh Farrell and Cox Gerry Hodgins were the fastest overall boat in the One Design category and brought home a lovely glass trophy for the cabinet. Well done also to the club’s other crew of Saoirse Mallon, Orla O’Connor, Glenda Murphy, Claire Corcoran and cox Martin Murphy on a well-rowed race.
It has been a busy few weeks for the club as they have also just returned from the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships in Dingle at the end of August. A great experience for all who attended, unfortunately no medals were brought home from the Kingdom, but lots of learnings took place that can be acted upon for 2025, when the All Irelands will take place up North in Glenarm, Co. Antrim.
Saturday morning August 3rd brought an early morning start for members of Inver Colpa Rowing Club as they made their way North to the beautiful Antrim coastal town of Whitehead, not far from Carrickfergus, for Whitehead Coastal Rowing club’s annual regatta.
The journey was not in vain however as the Veteran Ladies Crew, made up of Glenda Carter, Shirley Byrne, Sarah McCann and Orla O’Connor brought home the gold in their sprints race while club members Saoirse Mallon and Ciaran O’Neill took home the bronze medal in the open mixed section. Glenda Carter also bagged a second gold in the open women’s race, helping Castle Rowing Club across the line to victory.
The next couple of weeks will be very busy for the club as they train for the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships, to be held in Dingle on the 23rd-25th August 2024, marking the first time the club will have competed in the championships in a number of years. Here’s hoping for a medal haul!
